This is my personal opinion, only supported by 9 years of my experience
with pred use in ferrets (my first 5 years we didn't have ailing ferrets),
minimal use in myself and Sunny dog.
I've used pred for myself, short term, and the results are fantastic.
When I had pneumonia, using pred was the only thing that gave me relief
for the 6 days I was on it (the doctor wouldn't refill the prescription so
I suffered the rest of the ailment). From my personal experience I would
rather take pred and be comfortable rather than feel like I'm on deaths
door.
I've used pred for my Sunny dog, who has had three (if not more) strokes.
While it does help him, I can see that it also makes him feel bad and he
becomes incontinent as well. I use the lowest possible dosage for him.
But when he has a stroke and can't stand because his head is so far tilted
to the left it sends him tumbling, the pred takes down the inflammation in
his brain so he is able to maintain a fairly level stance. It also helps
to relieve some of the inflammation in the arthritis in his back legs.
From what I've read, pred works differently in ferrets than in other
animals. I've had ferrets with insulinoma on pred for 2+ years and other
than a bit of abdominal fluid retention they seemed perfectly normal.
Without pred, an insulinomic ferret can only be stabilized for so long and
unless you are home all day monitoring them, you might not see low sugar
episodes until they become severe and lengthened. Each episode takes a bit
more out of the little one. Eventually they'll either suffer severe brain
damage or go into a coma and die.
In the lympho cases we've handled, pred decreased the lymph swelling and
allowed the ferrets to lead a relatively normal life for the remainder of
their time. In Farah's case, we didn't think she'd live through the night
when we picked her up. Her lymph nodes were so swollen it looked like she
had giant hot dogs around her neck. She was starving because she couldn't
bend her head to eat from her bowl. Pred took the swelling completely down
and allowed her to become a relatively normal ferret and for 6 weeks we
were blessed with her presence. In those short 6 weeks, Farrah led a
painfree (to our knowledge), happy, loving life.
In using too little pred because of fear of side-effects, you may actually
be decreasing the quality of life for your little one. Our vet starts with
the lowest dosage then increases until normal or comfortable activity and
quality of life is achieved. This dosage is individual ferret specific.
In my personal opinion, quality of life is very important and I will do
everything in my power to help an ailing ferret.
Ferrets also have a much shorter life span than humans and some other
animals and in some ailments, pred is the only medication that will help
stabilize them. There are ferrets that have had reactions to pred and
alternatives were researched (yucca) and used instead. The key is to
research all of your options when dealing with ferret ailments. Talk with
your vet and others, use the internet, visit your library, read through
the ferret medical info, etc.
Ulysses goes back to Larry this afternoon. He is not doing well, raspy,
doesn't want to eat, uncomfortable. Krystal also is not doing well,
nausea, lethargy, doesn't want to eat. At least the bleeding is stopped.
sigh. Please send healing thoughts, wishes, and prayers.
Ferret Store - Only good things to say about them. Joe is great. The
other stores on the internet are offering one per person specials. When
that is done, their prices will go back up. BUT they do carry other items
that the Ferret Store doesn't such as Iams, Science Diet, Pro Plan, etc.
so you can still support the Ferret Store by purchasing your regular
'ferret' stuff there and the other items through the other companies.
hugs to all. tle
Troy Lynn Eckart
Ferret Family Services
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~sprite/ffs.html
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Haven/5481/
Please sign up to support our charity
http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?cid=46&mid=58395
[Posted in FML issue 2826]
|
